While We’re Waiting… Kirk Cousins rumors heating up

Cleveland sports fans are waiting. Thus, while we’re all waiting, the WFNY editors thought you might enjoy reading. Because you never know how long we might be waiting. So here are assorted reading goodies for you to enjoy. Send more good links for tomorrow’s edition to tips@waitingfornextyear.com.

Passing on the latest backup QB fad of Kirk Cousins: “The success of those guys, or lack thereof, doesn’t doom Cousins to a similar fate. What it does offer is a look at relative value. The Cleveland Browns shouldn’t take the same level of risk on Kirk Cousins. The going rate for him will probably be as high as we think it is, in which case Joe Banner should hang up the phone. Still, some consider Cleveland to be the leading contender for Cousins’ new home.” [Jon Stinchcomb/Dawgs By Nature]

—

Looking at draft order implications of Week 17 games: “This means that, if all 6 teams finish with 4 wins, the Browns would either draft 4th or 5th. This is a highly likely scenario based on the Week 17 scenarios. Whether the Redskins win or lose they would draft ahead of the Browns. Wins by the Jaguars and Raiders would take them out of this scenario and the Browns would draft 3rd overall. A win by the Browns changes this equation greatly, but assuming a Browns loss the team will most assuredly be drafting between 3rd and 5th.” [Jared Mueller/Factory of Sadness]

—

Debating key topics for the Cavs: “Technically speaking, the Cavs could rip off five-straight wins and find themselves in the No. 6 spot in the Eastern Conference. It’s mathematically possible, scientifically feasible and we haven’t even hit the All-Star break yet. Heading into the weekend, the Cavaliers are only 1.5 games behind the No. 8 seeded Boston Celtics who they play on Saturday. Cleveland is also only 2.5 games out of the seven spot and three games out of sixth. The Charlotte Bobcats, meanwhile, are the team in sixth.” [Brendan Bowers/Stepien Rules]

—

Appreciating the surprise season of Matthew Dellavedova: “On a team full of guys who love to dribble and shoot, Delly is one of the few guys that has consistently looked to keep the ball moving. The Cavaliers are scoring 123 points per 100 possessions in the 304 minutes he has played. That is an insanely good number. Right now, the Portland Trailblazers have the highest offensive rating in basketball at 114. Overall, the Cavaliers rating is 100.4, ranking 27th.” [David Zavac/Fear The Sword]

—

What does the Bennett pick tell us about Chris Grant? “Michael Olowokandi, Kwame Brown and Greg Oden. Three names that will forever live in infamy as well as compilations of the worst overall No. 1 draft picks in NBA history. The career of Anthony Bennett is still in its infancy, but the rookie forward’s lack of readiness for the rigors of the pro game has put him on the short list for Bleacher Report’s next ‘NBA’s Most Shocking Draft Busts’ column.” [Doug/Cleveland Sports Torture]

—

Oh hey, the former Seattle Mariners GM looks back at the trade that landed Shin-Soo Choo in Cleveland for Ben Broussard. [Rob Neyer/Baseball Nation]

—

Thoughts on the Indians’ standing pat strategy: “So two questions come up: are the Indians glossing over the weaknesses that they overcame in 2013, and are they banking on players who overachieved in 2013 and are unlikely to do so again? The answer to both questions centers on the rotation. Even though certain pitchers overachieved in 2013, the rotation was the weakest area of the team, with only 73 quality starts.” [Jeff Mount/Wahoos on First]

Jacob Rosen is a long-time contributor to WaitingForNextYear. He's also a writer online at SportsAnalyticsBlog and Nylon Calculus . An Akron native, Jacob is a current MBA student at the University of Oregon's Warsaw Sports Marketing Center. You can follow him on Twitter @WFNYJacob or e-mail him at udjrosen(at)gmail(dot)com.

WFNY Links

I was actually glad I didn't see the result. I can't stand the fact that the likes of the Leader and other outlets actually keep ST records and rank the teams like it was the regular season.Great job, bode.

Believe me when I say I'm a big fan of Matthew Dellavedova. Probably the biggest fan of his of the folks who regularly comment here. But in no way do I think the reason that Delly can't rack up assists is because LeBron controls the ball. I've seen enough games without LeBron to come to […]